Edwin Encarnacion was in the midst of a horrible game on Wednesday night. He had committed a costly throwing error, his second of the season, and had struck out three of the last five times at the plate over the last two days. Reds announcer Jeff Brantley, in his typical short-term version, was just destroying Encarnacion all game, with gems like:

"If you can't field the position, get him out of there."

Then, after a failed bunt attempt in the ninth inning, "Get him out of there and get someone in who can bunt." (Encarnacion doesn't have single sacrifice bunt in his career.)

Meanwhile, the Reds are down two runs, have two runners on and nobody out, and Brantley continues his rant, after fellow broadcaster Thom Brennaman discusses the strategy of having him bunt in the first place:

Brantley: "Get him out of the game. He is not a clutch hiter. He is not a clutch hitter."
Brennaman: "His numbers (.360 with runners in scoring position last year) would suggest otherwise."
Brantley: "He is not a clutch player."

Nanoseconds after that statement, on a 2-2 count, Encarnacion hits a game-winning three-run homer.

Ah... nothing like an instant rebuttal....

Comments....

Amen! Brantley was being ridiculous, as usual. That said, good thing EE came through, or we could've be seeing too much Ryan Freel after his shoddy play in the field. Posted by Dalton Del Don at 4/2/2008 9:32:00 PM

Im not a believer in EE- I cant trust guys who have been sleepers for more than 2 seasons and I believe this is year 3 that EE is showing up on "sleeper" lists. I do like him slightly more than Alex Gordon though (Ryan Leaf). Posted by djm1144 at 4/2/2008 9:47:00 PM

And that's why we encourage our writers to share their own opinions here at RotoWire - we don't speak in unison. That said, I'm going to need more evidence from you on both EE and Gordon.Posted by Erickson at 4/2/2008 10:19:00 PM

Not sure I get the Cryin Leaf reference, but anyway, I guess I'm spoiled as a Dodgers fan as I've been listening to Vin Scully from day one of my fandom. Brantley is a tool.

Is it really true that he watched his home burn down, got plastered, and showed up at the ESPN studios after Harold Reynolds got fired and then got let go himself?Posted by vtadave at 4/2/2008 10:34:00 PM

http://mvn.com/mlb-fantasy/Posted by skinsnut at 4/3/2008 8:54:00 AM

It really doesn't get more priceless than that, does it? You usually don't see announcers contradicting their partners, either. Good for Brennaman to call B.S. on Brantley before the home run. I also think Brantley is a great example of the confusion, for lack of a better word, that surrounds analysts (btw, whatever happened to the term color commentator?). Some announcers (see Blowers, Mike) refuse to criticize the hometown team. Others, like Brantley apparently, appear too critical. But the choice isn't between degrees of criticism. It's about seeing the big picture. Every player can be great one night and suck the next. The announcer's job is to put that into its proper context. Posted by Jason Thornbury at 4/3/2008 10:55:00 AM

Great 24 hours to be a Reds fan. Cueto looks unreal today. Posted by spianow at 4/3/2008 10:55:00 AM

Skin - is that your blog? If so, nice work.

Posted by Erickson at 4/3/2008 11:19:00 AM

No, it is a blog I visit and saw they had a similar take as you. They do good work over there.

I own Cueto in my one and only league and I am thrilled about this performance. I don't feel so bad "reaching" for him in the 15th round now.

He is at Milwaukee on Tuesday but I gotta start him.Posted by skinsnut at 4/3/2008 12:14:00 PM

I've rarely watched the Reds so I'm not incredibly familiar with how Brantley is most days, but I had two main thoughts during that at-bat. 1) Why is Dusty trying to get EE to lay down a bunt? 2) Does Jeff watch the Reds on mute? For the 20-30 minutes I had this game on, he was just like Debbie Downer with a microphone and then Brennaman and Encarnacion made him eat the "he's not a clutch hitter at all" bit. Too bad in Tout I own both Encarnacion and Lyon.Posted by dvr9484 at 4/3/2008 1:45:00 PM

I do not like listening to Brantley, he comes across as someone who is trying to sound smarter than he is. But he's an improvement over Tim McCarver, who has completely lost touch with reality. I hope I live long enough to enjoy a post season without having to hear his voice.Posted by thepearl-673 at 4/3/2008 2:45:00 PM

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